In the book, Kaufman details every step to becoming a contestant. After filling out an extensive application, with five to 15 pictures of themselves and a “well-lit” video showing off their home, lifestyle, and personality, finalists are invited to LA or a weekend to fill out personality tests. The weekend also includes interviews with producers on the show. Participants are confined to the hotel the entire weekend, and are not allowed to talk to each other.

They also have to take a medical examination, which includes an STI test.

“As soon as the medical tests came back, you’d see that herpes was the biggest thing,” Ben Hatta, [creator and executive producer] Mike Fleiss’ former assistant, said. “And sometimes you’d be the first person to tell a contestant that they had herpes. You’d be like, ‘Uh, you should call your doctor.’ Why? ‘We’re not going to be able to have you on our show, but you should call your doctor.’

Every potential contestant with any STI is taken out of the running immediately.

“Then they’d realise they’d been denied from ‘The Bachelor’ and now a bunch of people knew they had herpes,” Hatta said.

“Apparently, that’s the top reason applicants don’t make it onto the show,” Kaufman writes in the book.